CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A countdown of the top 100 players in Cleveland
Browns history. Players must have spent at least four seasons with the
Browns. The ranking is based only on players' careers with the Browns.

The Browns were confident Frank Minnifield could help them but it wasn't blockbuster news when the United States Football League cornerback decided to sign with Cleveland in April, 1984.

The acquisition would turn out to be one of the most fortuitous in Browns history. Minnifield joined Hanford Dixon to form one of the NFL's best-ever cornerback duos and help spark a fan connection with the team that has not been matched since.

Minnifield, from the University of Louisville, was selected by the Chicago Blitz in the third round of the USFL draft as the new league approached its first season, which would begin in March, 1983. He signed with Chicago but injured a knee in an early-season game and then, given the circumstances, was passed by in that April's NFL draft.

The USFL, which would cease play after 1985, was already struggling in its challenge to compete with the NFL. Chicago and the Arizona Wranglers were among the teams facing serious financial problems. The franchises swapped numerous assets, including most of their players, for business purposes prior to the 1984 season. Thus, Minnifield was with the Wranglers, though sidelined by a leg injury, when he signed with Cleveland.

Minnifield's injuries healed and he took over as the starter at left cornerback for the Browns early in the 1984 campaign. Cleveland finished 5-11 but would make the playoffs in each of the next five years, winning four AFC Central Division championships and three times coming within a win of reaching the Super Bowl.

The 5-9, 180-pound Minnifield was nicknamed "Mighty Minnie" but some teammates called him "Boom" for the wallop he packed making hits on opposing receivers. His toughness and strength helped him excel in man-to-man "bump-and-run" coverage, jarring receivers as they tried to come off the line of scrimmage and denying them their desired routes downfield. And, not only was Minnfield an elite pass defender, but he excelled in run support.

It was during the early stages of Minnifield's Browns career that Dixon began barking on the field to motivate his fellow defenders. Minnifield went along with the tactic right away. Soon, Dixon would be nicknamed "Top Dawg," the rest of the defense would get in on the act and the energized fans would join in. Browns fans brought all sorts of dog paraphernalia to games and the "Dawg Pound" formed in the bleachers at the open end of Cleveland Stadium, making the place a nightmare for opponents to visit.

The environment was a perfect fit for the feisty Minnifeld, who never met a receiver who intimidated him, be it in Cleveland or on the road.

Minnifield made four straight Pro Bowl teams (1986-89) and was a first-team all-NFL selection in 1987 and 1988. His 20 career interceptions aren't a fair indicator of his pass-defending excellence. Opponents faced quite a dilemma when playing the Browns. They'd rather not throw toward either Minnifield or Dixon. As often as they could, quarterbacks chose to not dare either.

Minnifield intercepted two passes, returning one 48 yards for a touchdown, in the Browns' 38-21 playoff game win over the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 9, 1988 at Cleveland Stadium. He also scored touchdowns in regular season games on a fumble recovery and on a return of a blocked punt.

The Browns changed coaches four times during Minnifleld's career. Sam Rutigliano, in his seventh season with Cleveland, was fired and replaced by defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer midway through Minnifield's first season. After four playoff campaigns, disagreements between Schottenheimer and owner Art Modell prompted the coach's departure.

Cleveland hired New York Jets defensive coordinator Bud Carson as its next coach. Carson had run the Pittsburgh defenses when the Steelers won their first two Super Bowls in the 1974 and 1975 seasons. In Carson's first Cleveland season, 1989, the Browns lost the AFC championship game to the Denver Broncos for the third time in four years. Carson was fired and offensive coordinator Jim Shofner was named the interim coach midway through the Browns' 3-13 season in 1990. Modell then hired Bill Belichick, who had been the New York Giants defensive coordinator since 1985, including their 1986 Super Bowl championship campaign.

Through all the changes, Minnifield stayed at right cornerback. From 1990-92, though, he missed 15 total games with a variety of injuries. Even before, in his best years, the compact Minnifield often played through a variety of leg ailments.

Minnifield was 33 and his contract was up after the 1992 season. The Browns didn't offer him a new deal and soon after the draft Modell made it clear the team wouldn't bring him back. In 1990, the Browns had allowed an unsigned Minnifield to negotiate with other teams, hoping it might lead to a beneficial trade. A series of events resulted in Minnifield's filing of a lawsuit against the Browns for collusion between them and the Atlanta Falcons. The lawsuit was merged into a class-action antitrust suit with other players against the NFL. Between the first and second weeks of the 1992 season, a court ruled for the players and awarded damages.

Instead of trying to catch on with another team after Cleveland no longer wanted him, Minnifield retired.

Minnifield's son, Chase, is a cornerback with the Washington Redskins but has not yet played in a game. Prior to microfracture knee surgery while at the University of Virginia, Chase Minnifield was projected as a middle-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft. He went undrafted and signed with the Redskins but suffered a torn ACL in his right knee last summer.

Frank Minnifield was 53 on Jan. 1. He was elected chairman of the University of Louisville's board of trustees in Sept., 2011.

Video: Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon are ranked the second-best cornerback tandem ever in an NFL Network feature from a few years ago:

Video: Part 1 of an NFL Films Game of the Week, the Browns' 27-24 win over the Steelers on Oct. 5, 1986 in Pittsburgh. About 50 seconds in, Browns left cornerback Frank Minnifield (31), right cornerback Hanford Dixon (29), strong safety Ray Ellis (24) and free safety Chris Rockins (37) are introduced in the starting lineup. About 3:25 in, Minnifield is highlighted and makes a leaping interception:

Video: Part 2 of the Browns' 27-24 win over the Steelers on Oct. 5, 1986 in Pittsburgh.

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